U.S. patent number 4,205,423 [Application Number 05/947,326] was granted by the patent office on 1980-06-03 for method of retipping top-drive filling spindles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Kendall Company. Invention is credited to Lucius M. Hair, Ernest G. Poole.
United States Patent |
4,205,423 |
Poole , et al. |
June 3, 1980 |
Method of retipping top-drive filling spindles
Abstract
A top-drive filling spindle having wear on its tapered tip can
advantageously be retipped by cutting the worn tip thereoff up to a
predetermined point thereon; boring a hole into the middle of said
cut spindle tip; placing a male through hardened replacement tip in
said hole; securing the tip thereon; and, grinding the thusly
secured sleeve to the standard taper for top-drive filling
spindles. With the application of the through hardened sleeve, it
is anticipated that spindle wear would not occur for perhaps six to
twelve years or more--a two to three fold increase over the life of
spindles currently used by those skilled in the art.
Inventors: |
Poole; Ernest G. (Charlotte,
NC), Hair; Lucius M. (Pineville, NC) |
Assignee: |
The Kendall Company (Boston,
MA)
|
Family
ID: |
27116471 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/947,326 |
Filed: |
October 2, 1978 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
757949 |
Jan 10, 1977 |
4115911 |
Sep 26, 1978 |
|
|
568560 |
Apr 16, 1975 |
4010600 |
Mar 8, 1977 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
29/402.11;
242/118.3; 242/597.6; 29/445; 29/458; 29/469.5; 29/525; 57/129 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23P
6/00 (20130101); Y10T 29/49945 (20150115); Y10T
29/49861 (20150115); Y10T 29/49885 (20150115); Y10T
29/49734 (20150115); Y10T 29/49906 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B23P
6/00 (20060101); B23P 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;29/458,526R,525,445,469.5,41R,41D ;57/129,130,135
;242/46.21,118.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moon; Charlie T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Scahill; Edward J.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 757,949
filed on Jan. 10, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,911 issued Sept.
26, 1978; which is a division of U.S. Ser. No. 568,560 filed on
Apr. 16, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,600 issued Mar. 8, 1977.
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of making a top-drive filling spindle having a tapered
tip thereon of hardened material comprising:
cutting a worn portion completely off the uppermost tip of a
top-drive filling spindle blade;
drilling a hole of predetermined width and depth into the middle of
said cut portion;
placing a cylindrical piece of through hardened metal material
having a male portion extending from the middle of one end thereof
into said hole, said male portion being designed to securely fit
into said hole;
causing said male portion to become securely attached in said hole
in butting relationship with said spindle blade; and,
thereafter forming a predetermined taper uniformly on said piece of
hardened material from the abutted end to a smaller end portion by
removing material therefrom.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said male portion of said piece of
hardened material is securely attached to said spindle blade by
applying of a lock-type sealant/adhesive where said male portion
meets said spindle blade.
3. The method of claim 1 including threading said male portion and
the inner portion of the hole in said cut spindle, and causing said
male portion and said sleeve to become secured together by means of
said threading.
4. The method of claim 3 including a lock-type sealant/adhesive on
said threaded portions prior to securing said male portion to said
spindle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since before the turn of the century, the use of a spinning frame
or twister in the manufacture of textile yarn, both cotton and
manmade, has been widespread. A vital part of the spinning frame is
known as the spindle which consists of a steel blade and bolster. A
quill or bobbin has been an essential companion to the spindle
since the invention of the spinning wheel, and the method of
mounting the quill on the spindle has always presented a
problem.
Prior to the advent of top-drive filling spindles, an acorn type or
"bottom-drive" filling spindle was widely used. In this case, the
quill, normally made of wood or the like, was applied to the
revolving spindle to wind the textile yarn onto the quill after
twist has been imparted thereto by the spinning frame, spinning
ring and traveler. With the use of the acorn type of spindles, the
speeds attainable therewith were somewhat limited due to gyration
of the quill on the spindle. These gyrations further caused
inconsistencies and imperfections to appear in the woven
fabrics.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art turned to top-drive filling
spindles with increasing frequency. In designing the spindle,
provisions were made for this spindle to carry its full load
without vibration or gyration. With the use of top-drive filling
spindles, the drive point between the spindle and quill was moved
from directly above the acron of the spindle to the tapered tip of
the spindle. The tip is tapered at the top to fit the internal bore
of the quill, the contact between the spindle and quill at this
point providing the sole driving of the quill. By utilizing this
mode of driving the quill, it tends to find its own center of
rotation, the gyration or vibration is greatly reduced, and, as a
result, much higher spindle speeds are possible to achieve and are
actually accomplished.
Although the spindle is of induction hardened steel, wear still
occurs on the spindle tapered tip after three or four years. Thus,
slippage between the spindle and quill occurs, thereby causing less
than calculated twist in the yarn being spun. It therefore becomes
necessary to rework the taper of the spindle, so as to restore the
original dimensions to the tapered spindle tip and consequently
obtain additional use therefrom. In the past, this reworking has
consisted of two basic methods: (a) a rehardening of the spindle
tip and subsequent regrinding of the taper; and, (b) cutting the
old tip off and subsequently butt welding a new tip on,
rehardening, and then grinding to the desired taper. Both of these
methods have advantages and disadvantages. In the simple
rehardening process (a), the obvious advantage is cost and,
normally, less manufacturing time, while the big disadvantage is
that the regrinding process removes metal from the spindle tip,
thereby causing the quill to drop and give less clearance at the
acorn (bottom) of the spindle. This clearance is, of course,
critical and if the grinding is not carried out with extreme
accuracy, the result will be an acorn driven quill that results in
much gyration and vibration. The advantage of the butt welding
method (b) is that the disadvantage of the rehardening process is
eliminated, as a new spindle specification is restored. However,
the disadvantage of this method is cost, usually more manufacturing
time and a relatively high percentage of butt weld failures.
Additional disadvantages of both methods is the normal use therein
of induction type hardening of the tips. Induction hardening of
steel results in layers of hardening, with each successive layer
from the outer case or surface producing a lower degree of
hardness. In the actual use of a spindle tip hardened by these
methods therefore, wear is greatly accelerated once the outer
hardness becomes worn away. As a result, spindle tips produced
thereby have a relatively short useful life span.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an economic,
efficient and reliable method of retipping worn top-drive filling
spindles.
Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a
top-drive filling spindle having a tapered tip portion that can be
successfully retipped an indefinite number of times with ease,
speed and low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The uppermost, tapered tip portion of a top-drive filling spindle
comprises a neck portion having a hole in the middle thereof that
is covered by a piece of a through hardened material securely
disposed therein, said piece having a male portion extending
therefrom that fits into the hole. The sleeve is ground to a
predetermined taper prior to use with a quill in the manufacture of
textile yarns. A thusly constructed top-drive filling spindle and
the method of making same can be used on not only existing worn
spindle blades, but also on new spindle blades as presented by a
spindle manufacturer. By applying the piece of uniformly hardened
material to new spindles, the thusly treated spindle blade is
automatically ready to accept a new tip or male piece, should the
existing one become worn out. However, these spindle tips should
have a life expectancy of between six and twelve years or more,
and, if and when, wear does occur, it will be gradual wear rather
than accelerated wear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a top-drive filling spindle
having a typical quill disposed thereon;
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a top-drive filling spindle
having a hole bored into the cut tip of the spindle;
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a spindle tip as described in this
invention having worn areas or rings thereon;
FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the bored tip or neck portion of
the spindle of this invention and the male portion of hardened
material;
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the spindle tip described herein
having the hardened male portion secured thereon and ground to a
predetermined taper; and,
FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of another embodiment of attaching
the male portion to the spindle of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Top-drive filling spindles have for years been made from a steel
with a high carbon content that can be heated by an induction coil
and rapidly quenched. This process produces a spindle blade that
has a hard outer surface, but leaves the inner core relatively soft
and ductile. Thus, spindles prepared in this manner have both ends
very hard and a center portion that is left soft enough so that the
spindle shaft can be straightened. However, this long used method
of making spindles produces a blade that can be rather
unpredictable as regards the degree and depth of hardness therein.
Accordingly, once wear starts on the spindle at the point where it
engages the quill, it proceeds at an extremely accelerated rate due
to this soft inner core, so that the lift expectancy of a new
spindle is only about three to four years.
It has now been discovered that top-drive filling spindles made as
outlined above can be given a life expectancy of six to twelve
years or more by grinding down the uppermost tapered tip portion of
the spindle to a predetermined diameter, and covering the thusly
ground spindle tip with a sleeve of material possessing a high
degree of hardness throughout. This newly formed tip is then
retooled so as to produce a particular standard taper on the
spindle.
This operation can be more readily described by reference to the
drawings wherein FIG. 1 shows a top-drive filling spindle 10 having
a quill 11 disposed thereon. The spindle 10 comprises a spindle
base 12, a whorl 13, and acorn taper at 14 and a spindle blade 15
which has a predetermined taper at the uppermost tip portion 16.
The tapered tip 16 engages the quill 11 at points 17 and 18
thereon. Thus, the quill 11 is permitted to spin and perform the
function that it was designed to perform. However, wear occurs at
areas 17 and 18 thereon after repeated use and causes the quill 11
to drop on the spindle and to gyrate and vibrate thereon. In some
cases this drop is so great as to cause the driving action to occur
at the acorn taper 14 of the spindle 10 wherein the quill bushing
19 engages the acorn taper 14. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the
tapered tip portion of the spindle blade wherein worn areas or
points 17 and 18 are shown in a somewhat exaggerated condition.
FIG. 2 shows the spindle 10, after the worn areas have been removed
therefrom by cutting the worn portion completely off. The middle
portion of the cut spindle can then be drilled or bored out, as
shown at 21, to facilitate the placing and securing therein of the
replacement tip as will be described in more detail
hereinafter.
FIG. 4 shows the top of the cut and drilled spindle 21 in enlarged
detail so as to better show how the replacement of the spindle tip
is carried out. A replacement tip 22 of hardened material having a
male portion extending from the middle thereof, which is
approximately the same diameter as the hole in the drilled spindle
21. The male portion of hardened material 22 can advantageously be
pressed into cut and drilled spindle at 21 and secured thereto by
exerting sufficient force on the hardened material 22 as to cause
the securement of same into the drilled out portion 21. Ordinarily,
this press fit is of sufficient strength as to securely hold the
sleeve in working contact with the spindle. However, some sort of
adhesive or the like could be used to insure a stronger bond
between the spindle and the hardened material, for example, the cut
and drilled portion 21 may contain a drop or two of Loctite 242, a
tradename for an anaerobic sealant manufactured by Loctite
Corporation of Newington, Conn., prior to the replacement therein
of the hardened material 22. Of course, other similar adhesives and
bonding materials could be used with similar results.
Once the piece of hardened material 22 is securely positioned in
butting relationship with the spindle blade 16, the piece of
hardened material may then be ground to a predetermined and
standard taper for top-driving filling spindles. This can be shown
in FIG. 5 wherein the secured piece of hardened material 22 has
been ground to the original taper specification of a new top-drive
filling spindle. The piece of hardened material 22 is
advantageously a through hardened steel, having uniform hardness
throughout, so that if contact occurs between the tip and the quill
at points 17 and 18, wear will occur very gradually and over a very
long period of time. This is contrasted with standard prior art
top-drive filling spindles which have a relatively soft inner core
wherein, once the hard outer case wears away, a rapid and
accelerated wear occurs on the spindle tip within a very short
period of time causing vibration and gyrations to occur when the
quill is driven on the spindle blade. However, although through
hardened steel is preferred as the sleeve material of this
invention, other uniformly hardened materials can be used with
similar, although possibly somewhat less desirable, results. Such
other materials would include ceramic or glass bits and carbide
materials or the like. By through hardened steel is meant a furnace
fired steel which is produced in such a manner as to harden the
steel material uniformly throughout the body thereof.
This invention can be further explained by way of the following
example:
EXAMPLE
A worn top-drive filling spindle having worn areas or points on the
uppermost and tapered portion thereof as shown in FIG. 3 at 17 and
18, can effectively be renewed or restored by cutting the worn
portion completely off and drilling into the center of the cut end
to a predetermined depth, as shown at 21 of FIG. 4. A couple of
drops of an adhesive, or the like, can then be deposited into the
hole at 21.
The cylindrically shaped piece of hardened material 22 can be made
from three-eighth inch diameter bar-type oil hardened tool steel,
cold finished and annealed. The replacement tip, hardened
throughout, is made with approximately 0.003 inch clearance between
the hole and the tip. All of the machining operations can be
performed on an automatic screw machine lathe that has been
previously tooled up. The steel piece used herein was hardened and
tempered to give a hardness of Rockwell C 58-60.
The new tip is then press fit into the newly drilled spindle tip,
being further secured thereto by means of a liquid sealant/adhesive
compound or the like. Finally, the thusly worked spindle tip is
ground to a taper of 0.150 inch per inch on the outside thereof.
The spindle is then checked for true alignment and is straightened
if required.
Another embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 6 wherein the
cut and drilled portion 25 has threads 26 formed therein, and the
piece of hardened material 32 is made with a threaded male portion
such as at 33. A spindle manufactured or retipped in this manner
can facilitate replacement greatly because a worn tapered tip can
then be simply unscrewed and removed while a new tip of hardened
material can then replace it by simply screwing into the drilled
portion 25 at 26. The thusly positioned tip can then be ground to a
predetermined taper as described above and can be ready for
subsequent use within a very short time after removal from the
spinning frame. Of course, a lock-type sealant/adhesive can also be
used therewith to insure a strong bond between the sleeve and the
threaded spindle blade.
Top-drive filling spindles of this construction have extended the
life of spindles by nearly two to three times what is normally now
expected. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can now use and
reuse spindles for an indefinite period of time, at a very low cost
and with a minimum of down time. Furthermore, spindles utilizing
the hardened tip portion described herein have a greatly reduced
incidence of gyration and vibration, since the wearing on the
spindle tip is a very gradual process.
The above-described specific embodiments of this invention have
been set forth for the purpose of illustration. It will become
apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may
be made in the structure of this top-drive filling spindle tip
without departing from the principles of this invention as pointed
out and disclosed herein. For that reason, it is not intended that
the invention should be limited other than by the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *